My Parents won't let me be a Vegetarian HELP

Reply 60

16

Nima

3.) It's stupid because you then eat plants etc.

I take it you have never touched vegetables not even potatoes?

The protein from vegetables is better for you than the protein from meat.

Reply 61

Font

viviki

And don't believe all that rubbish about vegetarians not eating enough protein, most meat eaters eat up to 5 times too much protein.

protein from plants is enough to suffice human needs...i'm a pure vege, and i'm no skeleton, so there.

Besides, eating meat is very inefficient. Research suggests that only 1% of orginal energy is passed down to humans, from plant stage, by eating animals. energy transfer is 10% efficient, therefore from plants to animals 10% is lost, and from animals to humans, another 10% is lost, therefore 0.1*0.1=0.01. i.e 1%

oh, and eating meat is immoral, and sick...carry on eating your mouldy old Mc donalds if you want to, but just remember not to ask where the meat came from :wink:

Vegetarianism rules! don't diss veges!

Reply 62

Font

Nima

1,) It is unatural. Humans should eat meat.

no...why should they...its our choice whether we want to or not, and nothing will change that :smile:

bugger all if we have canines or whatever; why shoudl we let our past afffect our future...let teh veges live in peace Nima :smile:

PK

Reply 63

viviki

14

Nima

1,) It is unatural. Humans should eat meat.
2.) The study is 100% flawed. Of course vegetarians are on average healthier than meat eaters; that's because we live in an overweight nation who eat too much crap etc. and drink too much, vegetarians tend to look after themselves better. But this isn't due to eating meat, which is infact healthy and good for you.
3.) That's totall bullshit; milk is far better than any of the crap alternatives. Go to any sensible doctor, he will tell you this.
4.) Vegetarians don't get enough real protein and nutrients from meats.

Absolute rubbish meat eaters eat 5 times too much protein and cheap meat isn't always good protein. A proper vegetarian diet isn't deficient in any way. I have had my diet checked by the doctor and she said I have a better diet than most meat eaters I don't have any vitamin or mineral deficiencies and I don't take any supplements.

This isn't just one survey there are tons of them done all over the world. People who eat meat have far higher cholesterol levels, veggie food is far lower cholesterol.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2526891.stm.
Just another example at the link above.

And its also crap that vegetarians are always more health conscious. There are plenty of unhealthy veggies around who don't eat a balanced diet and compensate with dairy products. But a proper balanced vegetarian diet can be better than a meat eating diet or at least is on a par.

We are amongst the only creatures in the world which carry on drinking milk after infancy. There is a huge debate going on about how advisable it is to drink cows milk with many medical professionals now saying no.

http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/mmilk.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1268481.stm
http://www.numarkpharmacists.com/nw/page_nw_children_avoid_cows_milk_osteo_risk.html

http://www.milksucks.co.uk/sickkids.html

Vegetarianism is a valid healthy alternative provided the diet is sorted out properly.

Reply 64

Simone de Beauv

I've been a vegetarian for about 6 years (im 18 now) and even though my parents were reluctant, I still went ahead with it and stopped eating any meat, fish, or gelatine products. Vegetarianism is, I think a really brilliant thing, however,I do still find it difficult at times, especially when there is so much tempation around!

The only advice I would give is make sure that you plan out sufficicent meals which would have all the nutritional value that meat contains (or whatever), and maybe also take iron supplements (i don't but still I guess they're useful...) Enjoy! :biggrin:

Reply 65

NDGAARONDI

16

Nima

erm, yes of course I have, but I'm not a vegetarian.

So why do you say it's unnatural?

Reply 66

Kew

16

tele-skier

Actually kew, carnivores are only meant to eat meat. A lion, for example is a carnivore. As humans, we are omnivores - ie we eat meat and other things - ie veggies, pulses, fungi etc. Pigs are also omnivores :-). The healthiest diets are a mixture of various meat and veg products.

TS

Yes, I am perfectly aware of that. When I said 'carnivore' it was a typo - I actually meant 'omnivore'. I had a lot on my mind at the time...

Come on, I learnt about carnivore/herbivore/omnivores at infants school!

Reply 67

commoner

I've been a vegetarian since October and my mum isn't happy about it but tough. If you feel that strongly about it you shouldn't care what others think...

Reply 68

pissface

Go for it... :biggrin:

I could NEVER live without meat, but if that's how you want to live your life, begin your hunger strike, cuz your parents won't like it. Even though your parents legally have control over you, they can't force you to eat meat. What are they going to do? Strap you to a chair and shove meat down your throat which you'd prolly throw up anyways... :rolleyes:

By the way, why does a "peanut butter and jelly sandwich" sound so odd to some of you people??? Have you seriously never heard of it before??? :confused:

Reply 69

viviki

14

You mean peanut butter and jam right??

Reply 70

undercover-ange

At the age of about 8 I decided I wanted to be a vegetarian. Previously I had been under the mis-guided impression that we only ate the meat of animals that were ill so needed to be "put down" (for that I blame James Herriot). Anyway, my parents supported me and let me eat what I wanted. The reason I am a vegetarian is because I don't like the thought of eating a dead animal, I just can't stand the smell and the texture and just thinking about what it actually is. I accept that humans are supposed to eat meat and am all for other people having it if they want, but I think that the conditions most animals bred for meat are kept in are horrible. They are usually very badly treated, kept in tiny dark spaces and killed in awful ways for cheapness. I don't let my parents buy meat from supermarkets, only from organic farms where we know the animals have had happy lives and haven't been pumped full of antibiotics and then have been killed in a way to cause as little suffering as possible. Maybe if the only reason you want to be vegetarian is because you feel eating meat is cruel, then you should just make sure the meat you eat is free-range, organic and happy :-) Then you can enjoy it without the guilt. xxx

Reply 71

NDGAARONDI

16

I had banana and peanut butter sandwich before.

Reply 72

Trousers

11

If your parents have always eaten meat, chances are they are as misguided as some of the people on this thread. Try not to throw a tantrum or get too stroppy with them though - put their fears to rest with a few good arguments, but don't try to convert them. They are probably worried about the following things:

1. You will get ill. Set their minds at rest by assuring them that vegetarianism is really healthy if done properly. Tell them that you won't resort to McDonald's veggieburgers for your nutrition, but you'll read up on the best ways to get all your nutrients and concentrate on having a balanced diet.

2. They won't know what to cook for you. This is a fair enough argument - if your parents still cook for you, they can't be expected to make you separate meals all the time and be happy about it. This way, they would be the ones doing all the research and learning how to cook tofu - you should be doing this yourself. If you're really serious about it, tell them that you'll cook your own meals and cook for the family once a week - hopefully, you'll be able to convince them that vegetarian food is tasty and filling.

3. They think it's a silly phase you'll grow out of. Well, maybe, maybe not - but they should allow you to at least give it a go. If you change your mind later, fair enough. Cooking for yourself is one way to show them that you're serious about it.

It's probably best not to get into an argument about the moral implications of eating meat - if they think vegetarianism is ridiculous, they're unlikely to change their minds. Just tell them that you don't want to eat meat any more, and they should respect your decision.

Don't get put off by the people on this forum saying 'it's unnatural', 'you'll be protein deficient', 'you won't have any energy' or 'it's unhealthy'. I've been a vegetarian for years, and my boyfriend converted to veggie-ism when he was seven years old. We are both perfectly healthy - I can't remember the last time I even had a cold, and we both have enough energy to do an hour-long workout every night after work. If your parents are still not convinced, visit your doctor with them and discuss it together.

And, by the way, giving up eating meat because it's cruel to animals is a perfectly valid reason. Humans may have been created omnivores, but if we have the ability to regulate our diets to avoid the suffering of other animals without harming ourselves, why shouldn't we?

Reply 73

Mad_Monkey59

2

its not up to ur parents is it?

Reply 74

F. Poste

Nima

1,) It is unatural. Humans should eat meat.

Bullshit. Look at carnivores and the way they're designed- they're given bodies fit for hunting, with teeth that mean they can eat animals as they are. They're given digestive systems that can handle raw meat.

We are pretty much useless at hunting with bare hands alone. We can't handle eating meat unless we artificially prepare it by cooking it. That process is more unnatural than being a vegetarian.

Reply 75

naymeee

i totally agree with the above post.meat eaters are welcome to continue eating meat if they really want, but some of them can be so bloody arrogant and rude about veggies sometimes it pisses me off.i think a lot of it comes down to greed

Reply 76

Kew

16

F. Poste

Bullshit. Look at carnivores and the way they're designed- they're given bodies fit for hunting, with teeth that mean they can eat animals as they are. They're given digestive systems that can handle raw meat.

We are pretty much useless at hunting with bare hands alone. We can't handle eating meat unless we artificially prepare it by cooking it. That process is more unnatural than being a vegetarian.

Then how come we have canines, whch are suited to eating meat?

Reply 77

roff

2

Eat some celery seductively in front of them

Reply 78

NDGAARONDI

16

kew96158

Then how come we have canines, whch are suited to eating meat?

We hardly have the meat shredding teeth that even cats and dogs have let alone well known carnivores such lions and tigers. Plenty of molars at the back for muching vegetables.

Reply 79

tis_me_lord

14

Your parents are pretty messed up, it's your decision, it doesn't matter how 'flawed' your arguments are. You can be a veggie if you want to be, what's it to everyone else?

I love meat and would never be veggie, but my sisters one, and I'm no more healthy than she is.

My Parents won't let me be a Vegetarian HELP

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